This picture of a fine old black southern gentleman fishing was not only dramatic to me but also a lesson in life. Read on.
I took this picture while on a photographic assignment with a magazine.
Fishing on the Roanoke River
The gentleman fishing was not the subject of the assignment, but when I came upon him I could not leave without taking a picture and talking with him. Doing so provided me with an invaluable lesson in life.
The old gentleman was sitting on the side of the Roanoke River in North Carolina on a couple of old buckets fishing with his cheap $10 pole and reel. He was dirt poor. and was fishing for his dinner. If he didn’t catch anything, he didn’t eat. His struggle to put something in his stomach was daily.
Don’t forget the small blessings
So often our visions of blessings are so large: “If I only had a million dollars, I…” But we often forget to count our small blessings. Did you have something to eat today? Then you’re blessed.
While visiting him he caught nothing. Before leaving and continuing with my assigned shoot, I asked him if I could buy him lunch and dinner. I asked because I did not want to injure his pride. He said nothing but just smiled. I gave him the money to eat with. The lesson in life he taught me was certainly worth the investment. I hope you get it, too.
On your next drive to the Outer Banks
The original fine art photograph was taken along the Roanoke River just outside a North Carolina city named Williamston. Williamston is located where highways 17 and 64 intersect in Eastern North Carolina. It is one of those cities people pass by on their way to the Outer Banks. But it is a fine town with nice people and certainly worth visiting.
The original fine art photograph was hand-painted and is available for sale as a print, matted and framed print, canvas print, acrylic print, metal print, wood print, or greeting card. Click here.